By Enyichukwu Enemanna
France’s President, Emmanuel Macron, met with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, at the White House on Monday, telling Washington that Europe seeks to secure a lasting peace in Ukraine. The visit comes on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
Speaking alongside Trump in the Oval Office, Macron said the “common objective” was to build “a solid and longstanding peace” in Ukraine.
“We do share the objective of peace, but we are very aware of the necessity to have guarantees and a solid peace in order to stabilise the situation,” the French President told reporters.
“This is a very important moment for Europe,” Macron added.
“I’m here as well, after discussions with all my colleagues, to say that Europe is willing to step up to be a stronger partner, to do more in defence and security for its continent, and … to be engaged on trade, economy, and investments.”
Macron’s visit to Washington, DC, comes amid growing concern in Europe about the future of transatlantic relations as Trump advances his “America First” foreign policy agenda and urges a quick end to the Ukraine war.
The US leader has moved to launch negotiations between senior US and Russian diplomats in Saudi Arabia without the participation of Ukrainian or European leaders.
This has raised concerns, with Europe questioning Washington’s commitment to its security.
Trump, who took office on 20 January, said on Monday that “a lot of progress has been made” so far on efforts to end the conflict.
“We’ve had some very good talks with Russia,” the US president told reporters.
“We’ve had some very good talks with others, and we’re trying to get the war ended with Russia and Ukraine, and I think we’ve come a long way in a short period of weeks.”
Macron and Trump are meeting as the US president also unsettles Europe with his repeated criticisms of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Last week, Trump called Zelenskyy a “dictator” and suggested that Ukraine was to blame for the war, despite Russia launching the invasion of its neighbour in 2022.
He also dismissed Zelenskyy’s complaints about Ukraine and Europe not being included in the opening of US-Russia talks, saying Zelenskyy has been negotiating “with no cards, and you get sick of it.”
Macron is working to coordinate a European response to Washington’s sudden policy shift, hoping to use the bond he fostered with Trump during the US president’s first term, from 2017 to 2021.
The French president earlier said he intended to tell Trump during their talks that it is in the joint interest of Americans and Europeans not to show weakness to Putin during US-led negotiations to end the war.
